HAWK & SABLE | TWENTY-EIGHT

ELSEWHERE, ANOTHER GIRL of stars and blades braced herself in a bed of silken sheets. It was futile, avoiding him. She might as well get this over with quickly. She had played out this scenario in her head already. With any luck, it would play out seamlessly.

That was one of the reasons. He already had enough liars and manipulators in his life. He did not require another. There was nothing good she could offer him.

She laid in bed, quiet. She had blown out her candles, slowing her breathing to mimic sleep. It would not dissuade him, probably, but she'd done the little she could. Perhaps he would see her in bed, seemingly asleep, be considerate and leave. If she fooled him, anyways, which was unlikely.

Every person had their infatuations. Sometimes, they were wholly improper. This was one of them.

But for a moment, she let herself dream. Imagined herself in the role that was so tempting yet impossible. I am not worthy. He is not for me.

All her preparation and praying did not work, of course. She did not hear him, not precisely. She just knew. She didn't move, not an inch, not even to open her shut eyes as he entered her bedchamber.

There were a few moments of quiet. Then she felt his quiet breath across her eyelids, fighting the urge to blink. He chuckled. "I know you're awake."

She mumbled, still not opening her eyes, "I am hoping rather fervently that you would go away."

"No chance of that, I'm afraid." He straightened. "I'm staying."

"Very unfortunate."

A few beats passed. When he opened his mouth, he sounded amused. "You really are just going to stay like that the entire time, huh?"

"It is wholly improper, you know, to barge into a lady's bedchamber without politely asking."

"I did ask."

"You said it as a statement, not a question, Lord Archsham. And you'd note that I did not respond with a yes."

"You don't even know my intentions."

"Whatever they are," she told him, "I'm sure I do not agree with them. Go away. I barely slept a wink last night."

"Too busy thinking about me?"

It took all her effort not to open her eyes and glare at him. "Too busy thinking about the case."

"Well," he drawled, "the traitor is in custody now. He's under the Iron Wolves' watch, not as if he's about to escape any time soon. You can think about me tonight."

"Good. Go away."

"Ciri, Ciri, you truly did not think it would be so easy, did you? Open your eyes. You're very pretty when you sleep— ah, pretend to sleep anyways— did you know that?"

"No, as I am unable to see myself when I am asleep. Either way it does not matter. Please go away." Her words came out as a grumble. She sounded like a child throwing a temper tantrum, but she didn't exactly care. If that made him go away quicker, she'd act the bratty child.

"Hmm, no." He was teasing her. She balled her fists, and he shrunk back. "Do not punch me."

"Trust me," she muttered. "It's very tempting right now."

"I'll dodge."

"Are you fast enough, though?" No. She was teasing back. That was a bad idea. She stiffened again.

"Why don't you just sit up?" He asked, genuine bafflement in his voice. "We both know you're nowhere close to falling asleep."

She rolled over and glared at him. Damn him for looking so handsome. Damn him for being so sweet. Damn life for needing her to resist.

Voice flat, he commanded, "Get up."

She tried one last time. "Go. Away."

"No. Get up." He grabbed one of her shoulders and yanked her upwards. She didn't bother fighting it this time. She sat up, leaning against the back of her bed.

"Hello, Miss Diao."

"A little late for that, don't you think?"

"You're extremely adorable when you're irritated, did you know that? I used to wonder why Marcus loved annoying your sister so much. I think I get it now."

"We are not Marcus and Cass."

"No. We're Laurence and Ciri. Come on, look at me."

She turned her head around comically slowly. His lips were quirking upwards, as if he was trying to suppress a smile and failing miserably. She resisted the urge to look away. Stared him in the eyes, dead on, praying to god her eyes hid her feelings well enough. Even if they did, it wouldn't fool him. She knew that. It didn't stop her from trying.

"What's wrong?"

She raised a brow, as if saying, "are you seriously asking me this?".

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Genuinely curious. It's not as if I'm proposing or anything."

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Because the truth was, she was flummoxed.

He shrugged. "To be honest, I'm not quite sure either. All I know is that I have feelings for you that aren't exactly friendly or platonic, and I'm pretty sure you feel the same, and that you're running from me because of that." A finger trailed down her jaw. She fought the shiver that was building up. He noticed that. Of course he did.

"So?"

"I can't answer you if you're touching me like that." She jerked her head away. He grinned.

"What's wrong with it, Miss Diao?" His voice was suddenly lower, more amused, more seductive. She gritted her teeth.

"It's inappropriate," she replied, though her voice sounded shaky even to her ears.

He gestured around the room. "We're alone. No one's walking in on us."

"You should not do what you do not wish others to know."

He raised his brow. "Is that a Saian idiom? If it is, it's a dumb one, especially for someone of our profession. We exist to thwart that rule."

She pointed out, "But we do want someone to know it. We all spy for someone."

"It's the information they care about, not the method." Perhaps. But she knew perfectly well Mr Cadieux would chew and spit him out if he used a method the spymaster didn't agree with. Lady Kuroki would do the same. Irina, even. These spymasters were far too cranky. Why wasn't she working under the Duke and Duchess of Shui Xiang again? They seemed far more pleasant to be around. Maybe in a few years, she'd report to Asteria instead.

"We shall just have to agree to disagree, then," she said, tone polite. "Did you come here to argue Saian idioms with me, or is there anything else?"

"You know perfectly well what else there is to discuss."

"I'm not sure I do." She played the ignorant fool now, which he wouldn't believe, but may be annoyed by.

"Hmm." His fingers crept back towards her chin, trailing up and down, up and down. "I don't get it. Why are you fighting this?"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"Yes you do. Your heart wouldn't be beating so fast otherwise. Your breaths so ragged. You're a good liar, Ciri, but not about this."

"That is why." Her hands flew to her face, exasperated. "I am not a good person."

"Ah. You think I deserve better."

That was the truth, but she'd rather die before admitting it. "I'm glad you think so highly of yourself."

Laurence shrugged. "Marcus calls me a narcissist, I'm not sure about that. I hate myself sometimes too, did you know that?"

"Very surprising, considering how you usually act."

He nodded earnestly. "Yes indeed. Has that convinced you? I don't care if you think you're a bad person. You're not, darling."

"Do not call me that."

That just made him lean forward. "Darling, darling, darling. What are you going to do about it?"

"Kick you in the groin."

He let out a startled laugh. "I did not expect it to go that far that quickly. I'll watch out for that, thank you very much, and greatly prefer it if you don't do that."

"I just might if you don't stop bothering me." She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger. "It's not an empty threat."

"I didn't expect it to be. So. What are your other reservations? We have all night."

"Laurence. Just go." She said that with all the conviction she could muster, which wasn't a lot. He was right. She was a good liar with lots of things, but this aspect of feeling... She hadn't practised hiding this. She'd never felt this before. It was terror and joy and wonder and horror. Sun tian ku la. Sour and sweet and bitter and spicy.

Damn, she was a mess. If he didn't go soon, she might just give in. That would be a disaster. No. She must stand strong.

She directed all her annoyance and anger towards him, fixing him with a scorching glower. He didn't seem worried, though. He just smiled, as if he knew exactly what she was doing.

(It struck her that he probably did.)

"It's what, three in the morning?" she demanded. "I need sleep. Don't you?" Then she remembered: he hadn't been able to sleep properly for a while.

He saw the moment the thought flicked into her brain and his lips twisted upwards, though it was sadder than before. "I can't. If I have to stay awake, I might as well do it with someone I like."

"I'm honoured. Now go away."

"You really think it's that easy?"

She sighed. "No. I don't think so. What would it take for you to leave?"

Laurence shrugged. "Nothing, I'm afraid. Unless you agree."

"With?"

"Well, actually, unless you stop denying this between the two of us." He tapped his fingers on her heart. Ciri almost gulped, but stopped herself at the last second and glared. Bad idea. But he makes it seem like a good one.

That was the trap. That for a moment, this could seem normal. This could happen every night. But eventually she'd get too cold, too manipulative, lie about something too big. She wouldn't even mean it. She wasn't Cass, who knew few Saian secrets and could work with the Arecians without problem. There'd be too much she needed to hide.

"You're still going to do that, aren't you?" There was a hint of disappointment in his voice. She didn't want to hear that. But that was good. Disappointment was good. She schooled her features into a stony scowl.

"Why are you so insistent on saying no?"

She glared, ignoring her heart's speeding. Prayed he wouldn't notice, and that if he did, he wouldn't point it out. He didn't.

"That's not answering my question." He played with her hair now. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Stop that."

"Why?" He prodded. "You like it. I can see it in your body language. Your heart says yes, your brain says no." He leaned forward, until their noses were almost touching. "Turn off your brain. Stop listening to it, for just a moment."

"That seems to be a common precursor to disaster," she managed, though her voice was unsteady. Damn him, he knew what he was doing to her. And he wasn't about to stop. She stared into those grey eyes, boring into her soul. Let her eyes trail down to his sharp cheekbones. Shut them again. Shook her head.

"I like it when you don't bother hiding your feelings. Shows me a little tidbit from the head of Cirinique Diao."

"I am not so interesting as you make me out to be."

"Oh, but you are, though," he said, edging closer towards her, cupping her cheek, forehead against forehead. Her state was painfully obvious now. She was sure that if she looked into a mirror, her cheeks would be read, eyes glowing. "You're one of the most interesting people I've ever come across. No one's quite like you."

"That is a good thing. The world does not need two of me, I think. One is more than sufficient." She shoved a lock of hair behind her ear. "Personal space, sir," she muttered, giving him a small shove.

He fell back with a chuckle. "Careful. You don't want to shove me off the bed. Not even I know how to fall like that quietly."

"No one would hear you. If they do, I will push you out that window and tell them I dropped a book."

"A book this heavy?" Ciri's brow arched as she regarded his figure. He wasn't a walking hulk of muscles like some of his fellow agents. Laurence looked every bit the dandy, and that included form. He was the menace of a thin blade.

"They would not question it."

He gave that a bit of thought before conceding the point. "No, I suppose not," he admitted. "Even if they caught me half-crawling out the window, they wouldn't question it. The servants here are freakishly well-trained."

"Each and every one is handpicked to be discreet. Considering how good of a role this is, they generally obey the rules. Excellent pay, you know."

"I'd imagine." They were back to safe territory. Bantering. That was nice. If they could just keep it that way, it would be excellent. She didn't hold out much hope for it, though, so that she'd be pleasantly surprised if it did happen and not disappointed if it didn't. She was careful that way, she liked to think.

"Cass and Marcus arrive in two days," he said, which she already knew and was greatly looking forward to.

"I am aware." Her voice was more impatient and annoyed than she'd wanted. She mentally cursed herself for that momentary lack of carefulness. This man seemed to lay waste to all her inhibitions. It was not a good thing. Especially when you were under the observant eye of the ton.

"Would they be pleased, you think?"

"With how the mission went? Cass would pat us on the back and then chastise us for taking so long to figure it out. I would point out that between the two of us, she is the legendary one, not me. She would huff but accept it. Perhaps she might even take it as a compliment. Who knows?"

"That sounds exactly like what she'd do." He smiled.

"Of course. I'm her sister, I know how she acts," Ciri replied, voice nonchalant. They'd grown up together. Years of separation didn't change any of that. She still knew her sister as well as her own mind, and Cass the same. "Will you leave now?"

That seemed to be a bad choice, since he blinked as if he had forgotten his purpose of being here and had just recalled it. She mentally slapped herself for her stupidity. Where was all her manipulation? Her cunning? They had all deserted her. Around this man she was rendered a fool, and she loathed it.

"I'm not going to convince you tonight."

"Not ever," she confirmed.

He chuckled, a low and throaty sound that sent goosebumps up her arms. "We'll see about that. Give me tomorrow, Diao Fengmei. Wherever I bring you tomorrow, come with me."

"The questioning–"

"It won't take too long. And that's if we're allowed in in the first place. Questionings are best done without a legion of spies and operatives watching nearby."

She shut her eyes and let out a soft sigh. "Fine."

"Good." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers one last time. "Until tomorrow then, darling."

She didn't hear him leave, but she felt it. Against her own will, she muttered, "Until tomorrow," back to the darkness.